We left off last month practicing a balance drill on one foot with your eyes open AND closed. When you closed your eyes, that simple drill became more difficult. When your eyes close, you become so much more aware of every little body movement. I hope that some of you had a chance to try that small but effective drill. More drills to follow later.

Start smart

We all tend to take things for granted and that may cause us to become careless. Please be aware of maintaining your balance when you pick up the ball from the rack. It may seem ridiculous even discussing this, but I have seen bowlers reach across the rack for their ball, pick it up one handed, slightly lose balance, and almost fall forward across the ball return.

I recommend moving to the side of the rack where the ball is and picking up the ball with both hands. In the stance, get the non-bowling hand completely under the ball to help support the weight. You often hear that the ball should be in line with the bowling shoulder. I fully agree with that in most cases. Sometimes, due to the width of the shoulders (very wide or very narrow), the bowler may be in better balance placing the ball closer to the body’s centerline. From wherever you start the ball moving, ensure that the bowling elbow is going toward the target.

As the body starts to move into the approach and you are taking four or more steps, use both hands to place the ball into motion. ...

The swing drill

The setup and first step

About Jack Schmid

Jack Schmid is a USBC Silver Coach, a Ritger Level II Coach, an Honor Graduate of the Institute of Professional Bowling Instruction, and has been named a BJI Top 100 Coach eight times.

Bowling This Month Subscriber Testimonials

"I have been bowling since I was 5 years old. I'm now 31 and bowl in a competitive league and sport a 220 average. I've been a loyal and dedicated reader of BTM for many years. It's my go-to source for information about skills, strategies, and, most importantly, ball reviews. I fancy myself pretty well-versed in the world of bowling, but each month there's always something new that I learn. The authors are also very articulate and very accessible. Tremendous compliment to Phil Regan. I left a comment on his article and he emailed me! I was able to ask him some questions and he was very appreciative and helpful. I can say more about BTM if given the chance. I would surely run out of space in this box. I love BTM and always will."

- Jim Hambel (bowler and Bowling This Month subscriber)

"I've been a Bowling This Month subscriber since its inception. I love it. It is a very educational and useful tool for me both personally and professionally as it helps me stay focused on new ways of improving my mental and physical game, plus it helps professionally as our sport continues to evolve with multiple new products and concepts. If you want a tool to help you stay on the cutting edge of our sport and industry, become a Bowling This Month subscriber today."